Even Draco has a Heart
by Ke Malfoy
Summary: *CHAPTER 7 is UP! (7/9)* While taking a walk,Ginny Weasley heard someone crying.It was Draco Malfoy,who had just lost his mother.Friendship is born,and who knows what may follow.Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, Herm, Pansy,Lucius & even Snape try to take them apart
1. Two Lonely Ones

_A/N - Hi, it's my first fanfic, and I hope it make anysense... well... pleazzzeeeeee review... I need to know if anyone read it... And by the way, all the caracters belong to the Great J.K. Rowling, not to me. ö)  
A/N2 - Hey, this chapter was re-edited, and now, i's readable!!! Tahnks for the Amazing BREader, Ana!   
_

Two Lonely Ones

  


  
  
It was Harry Potter's sixth year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Also in 6th year were Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and... Draco Malfoy. Ginny Weasley , a year younger than her brother Ron, was in her 5th year.   
  
And it's Ginny that we see walking by herself, as she often did, in the school gardens. It was the end of the summer, and the sun had just set. Under the dark, orange streaked sky, she slowly walked around the lake.   
  
Despite being the youngest of seven, Ginny was lonely. After some problems in her first year, the shy girl started spending more and more time alone. Whenever she wasn't in class, she liked to walk around school, watch the sunset and come back just in the time for dinner... and by the way, it was time to come back to the school... but she wasn't hungry, and, knowing it was unlikely that she would be missed, Ginny decided continue to walk around the lake.   
  
Suddenly, she heard a low noise coming from a thicket ahead. Scared, she held up her wand and muttered: "Lumos!". Still walking slowly, she closed in on the sounds and saw a dark form by some shrubs on the shore. She went there, and, carefully, held down her wand illuminating the shadow. It was a person. A blonde one. Crying. It was... Draco Malfoy?!?   
  
It had just turned dark when Draco Malfoy heard steps approaching him, but before he had time to run or hide, someone already was holding a wand above his face. It was the Weasley girl. He quickly dried his silver eyes, and frightened he stood up to face a confused Ginny Weasley.   
  
"Ma... Mal... Malfoy?" - She asked?   
  
"Yes, what's up, Weasley..." he ask, trying to look his usual insolent self. "Lost something around here?"   
  
"Well... no... but... are you okay?"   
  
"What do you care? Since when do you care about the bad guy?"   
  
He looked up, gazing into her eyes. Both wore veiled expressions, not knowing what else to do. Draco was extremely scared with the idea of someone finding out that he, the bad boy from Slytherin, the strong and cold Malfoy could be lying in the grass, crying like a little girl. Ginny was shocked, how could it make any sense? Malfoy? Alone? Crying?   
  
"Were you crying, Malfoy?" She asked quickly, before she lost the courage.   
  
"Of course not!... well... not at all... hmm... a little.... Oh, what the hell, yes I was... Do you have a problem with that?"   
  
She sat carefully by his side, feeling expecting to feel the wet ground before realizing that he was stretching his own cloak for her to sit on. She thanked him with a nod, and he started to talk again.   
  
"Well... Ginny, isn't it?"   
  
"Yes, Malfoy."   
  
"I was just... just... testing... yeah! Testing a new spell, but..."   
  
"Malfoy, stop lying. What happened to you? Don't worry about me spreading any rumors, I don't have any friends to tell whatever you tell me, and I don't think your situation is at all funny. I know that you hate me, and all my family, and all Gryffindors, but I think that something really serious happened to make you of all people cry... you probably need to talk, and you can trust me..."   
  
He looked at her, surprised, and more tears run down his pale face. In a moment of insecurity , he dropped down beside Ginny and hugged her hard, sobbing in her arms. Not knowing what else to do, Ginny just held him.   
  
"You know... ... it's so hard hang on... So hard to be me... I can't go on... I didn't want anybody to see me cry, so I came here... , no one ever comes here... "   
  
"I always come here, to walk around..." She answer him, almost suffocated by his strong arms. He was holding onto her like a lifeline.   
  
"Yeah, I've seen you around here before...." Draco said, in a distant tone" But you never came so close to the lake."   
  
He pulled away from Ginny, and she could see a faint smile in his lips. His eyes were still wet, whether because of that sight or because of the chilly night, Ginny trembled a little.   
  
"Take it" He said, giving her the black coat that he was wearing. "It has the Slytherin emblem, but you can't even see it in the dark, do you mind?"   
  
"Sure I don't" She answered him. Smiling, she thought "If someone had told me one hour ago that this night I would be sitting in the grass, with Draco Malfoy, wearing a Slythering coat, I would laugh until I burst. But now, it seems.... kind of... natural..."   
  
And then all become silence. When two lonely ones meet, not many words are needed to let them know that can trust each other.   
  
"Why were you crying, Malfoy?"   
  
His eyes become wet again. He took a piece of paper from his cloak and gave her. It was a letter. She started to read. _  
  
"Draco,   
  
I've just received an owl, coming from the Alps. You know, it was where Narcissa as skiing. There was an avalanche, and the other 5 wizards that were with her couldn't escape. Neither could she. Her body still has not been found.   
  
When I receive any news, I owl you again and you will come to the Manor   
  
  
Lucius." _   
  
"Mal... Malfoy... I'm so sorry..." She muttered, extremely upset.   
  
"You can't understand, Weasley. I'm crying because I don't feel a thing about it. I won't miss her... she never was my mother..."   
  
"What?" She asked, confuse. "Are you adopted?"   
  
He gives a small smile.   
  
"No, I'm not... but sometimes, I wish I was..." He said in a sad tone. " You can't know what it's like... You are full of brothers... and about your parents... I've already seen the way they are with you... the owls that you always get... the presents on holidays..."   
  
" But you always get presents too... and much more expensive than mine, I'm sure." She added, smiling.   
  
He stood up, looking into her eyes. She could see his mouth opening slowly... than close again... Can I really trust her? He breathes making a hollow noise. Yes, I can. I'll tell her.   
  
"I get them myself... even in my birthdays, no one remembers... ever... not even Crabbe, or Goyle... either. Not even Pansy, and she claims to like me. "   
  
"I'm sorry." Ginny said, not sure what else to say.   
  
Draco's eyes filled with cold fury in a second... He looked into Ginny's unbelieving face.   
  
"You are sorry?" He gasped. "You are not sorry at all! You don't care, nor do any of your little friends care! You all just want to get together and exchange this juicy piece of gossip about Draco Malfoy... Oh, he is so stupid... so dumb... Nowhere near as smart as Mudblood Granger. Oh, how he can't play Quiditch like Harry..."   
  
"If this really is what you think, Malfoy" said Ginny, quickly getting up. "You can take your cloak a! You talk like you know everything about me. If I really had any friends to tell what you were doing here, I just wouldn't be here to see it in the first place!" Ginny's redhead temper was clearly getting the best of her.   
  
"See? You're already screaming at me. What's next? Run to your tower and tell everyone that Draco Malfoy lost his mom and is crying in the garden? "   
  
He picked up his clothes and started to walk back to the castle.. She held his arm, making Draco turn around. Their faces were just inches away from each other.   
  
"So this is your game, Malfoy?" She screamed, looking into his nearly silver eyes.   
  
"What are you talking about? What game? Are will going mad, Weasley?"   
  
"No, I'm not, and if you really think that I will fall for this "I'm bad' act, you've got another guess coming!"   
  
He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close once again. Burying his face in her hair, he said, barely audibly "Please... help me..."   
  


  
_Next chapter: How Harry and Ron react to the scary vision of Draco and Ginny walking together at night, and our lonely ones on the conversation at the shower...ö)  
Please, I beg you, **review**...And sorry about my very very poor English, I write quite well in Portuguese... if you can understand it, go to [ the Portuguese Version][1]_

   [1]: http://www.orbita.starmedia.com/elaboral/draco/ff_solitarios.htm



	2. Confusion, Part I

_A/N - First of all, I want to thanks my lovely ones? Hannah and Debra, my two beta-readers, that promissed me to make my fic readable by anyone who can understand English.. ö), thanks girls!  
And now.. thanks for all the reviews, without it, I would write only in Portuguese, or not even in Portuguese (did I mentioned that I've finished the Portuguese version?) So, please, tell me what you think, yeah?  
  
_

Confusion, part I 

  
  
Ginny hugged the hot body of Draco at the same time that it started to rain. Both were crying.   
  
"What's up, Weasley?"   
  
"What's up, Malfoy?"   
  
"I... I think I'm the loneliest person in the whole world" Ginny muttered.   
  
"No, you aren't. Because that person... is me" Draco answered, in a sigh.   
  
They broke off, and Malfoy said,   
  
"I need someone to talk to, Weasley, can it be you?"   
  
"With two conditions; if you start to call me Ginny, and if I could talk to you too, Malfoy."   
  
"So please, call me Draco, and let's go in before we become totally wet, because the rain is getting worse."   
  
  
  
At this same moment, Harry Potter woke up, because of the lightning. He got up and looked by the window, and, by the moonlight, he could recognize the fiery hair of Ginny, and the hated silver reflection of Draco Malfoy. He woke up Ron, with a certain difficulty, and they went down the stairs to the Entrance Hall.   
  
The huge door opened. Wet and covered with the Slytherin coat, Ginny and Draco came in embraced. Ron screamed,   
  
"Take your dirty hands of my lil' sister, your big muggle!!!," and dragged, under protests, Ginny closer to him. "Did he do something to you, Gin? Did he make any spell or charm?"   
  
"Ron! Let me go! I was just talking to Draco, and... "   
  
"Draco???" Ron and Harry asked, astonished, together.   
  
"That's my name, don't you know it?" said Draco, very dryly, with a contempt smile.   
  
"Did you just called this bloody idiot by his first name?" yelled Ron, with his eyes shining with fury in Draco's direction.   
  
Harry pushed Draco away from Ginny, at the same time that Ron dragged her in the corridors, at the Fat Lady portrait direction   
  
"What the hell is that, Potter? Trying to look like some bad guy?" Draco ironically smiled, with his current drawn voice, while he got free from Harry's hands.   
  
"Shut your bloody mouth, Malfoy! What did you do with her?" said Harry, pushing Draco, again, to the wall.   
  
"I - did - nothing ! Or did you think that I need to do anything to make the woman run behind me?"   
  
"Malfoy, Ginny is my friend and you won't lay a finger on her!"   
  
"Are you sure, Potter? Is she really your friend? Ask her what she prefers: stay here, very dry, with you and little Ronikin or stay very wet, with ME, in the rain!" Draco yelled. And at the same time he walked away, to the Slytherin Tower, he added, very calmly. "I've spent too much time with you, Potter, adieu!"   
  
Harry tried to follow behind Draco, but after two corridors and one very suspicious picture, he didn't hear a thing. Soon, the Hogwarts castle was just echoing his steps,on the way to the Gryffindor common room.   
  
**   
  
  
  
" Ginny, this is the last time: What hell were you doing with Draco Malfoy, the one who tried to kill us uncountable times, sent Hagrid to Azkaban and get dad fired?"   
  
"This is also MY last time, Ron!!! I was just talking to him."   
  
"Harry, I think he done something to her. Maybe the Imperious Curse, or a Memory Spell ..."   
  
"I really don't know, Ron." said Harry, looking at wet Ginny. Ron must had looked too, because he just said:   
  
"Ok, Ginny. You're just too wet and I want you to get a shower and go to sleep, and tomorrow we'll talk about it. You can explain this whole Malfoy thing to me." said Ron, looking very furious.   
  
"Ron, shut up," muttered Ginny, while she went in to the girl's bedroom.   
  
Ron looked at Harry, who looked back.   
  
"You know, Ron, maybe they were just talking..."   
  
"Talking??? My lil' sis and that Malfoy git? No way! Only when I become a dead and rotten body."   
  
And then they went into the boy's dorm.   
  
**   
  
  
  
Ginny was crying at the girl's shower at the Gryffindor dorm, while Draco, at the boy's shower at Slytherin. Just a couple distant steps, and a sadness that made them closer and closer.   
  
"_We won't ever get to talk again..._" both Ginny and Draco thought at the same time. They shivered.   
  
_Ginny._ She looked around the empty shower room. _Ginny, it's me, Draco._ She turned off the shower and dressed in the bathrobe, quickly. Can you hear me? . She looked around one more time. _Draco, is that you?_ She thought. _ Yeah, it's me. I'm using a kind of communication spell, which can let you talk to me if you want to._   
  
_How can you know I want to talk?   
_She heard a choked laughter. _   
Because if you didn't, the spell wouldn't work.   
Do you can see me?   
No, I just can hear. Why? Are you naked, Ginny?   
_She blushed._ And if I really was? She laughed too.   
Oh, Ginny, I want to see you... talk to you... really...   
Me too, Draco, but how? When?   
What do you think about... right now?   
But if the boys catch me, they'll kill me! And you too!   
But I really need you… so badly... _Ginny shivered again, it was the very first time that someone said that to her. _I need you.   
All right, I'll dress up and we'll meet...   
Dress up?! So you're really naked... hehehe   
Stop it, Draco! I wait for you... in... in the Winter Room, besides the Main Room.   
Ok, Darling!   
Darling?!   
Sorry, 'til there, Ginny!_   
  
She heard a snap and felt her head become softer, Draco had disconnected. She dried up and dressed in clean robes, silently. I need to go before 'Mione wake up and calls the little heroes to save me, she thought.   
  
Draco was dressing a black shirt as he thought, and _if she tells everyone...? No. She's too much like me... I know... I can feel it... with her, just with her, I can be myself._ He put on his pumpkin slippers, shook his wet hair, and went down the dorm's stairs.   
  
She was there. Sitting in front of the large fireplace. And the slippers...!   
  
"I never imagined that somebody else had this kind of slippers also" Draco whispered, while she looked first to his feet and then to her own feet, with her tinny orange slippers lying under the old sofa.   
  
"Neither did I..." She smiled, and motioned to the sofa, besides the place that she was occupying.   
  
He walked very slowly, and sat at her side. Ginny looked very comfortable, besides the fact of the danger of being with Malfoy, at night, in an empty and warm room.   
  
"Ginny... I... I feel so lonely..." he started, looking into her brown eyes. "Since I was born, reared by the servants... and they're all... ghosts... I couldn't believe that someone would ever, ever get some interest about me without asking for something in reward..." He looked very serious, and if possible, more pale.   
  
"Yeah, and I, Draco, reared under the crown, was at the same time, alone. I was enclosed in disinterest, full of friends of my family, that never, ever ask me how I felt, or if I wanted to go with them... to a walk... to some adventure... and if I tried to ask them…I would always get a no...   
  
Draco caught her little hands into his own, with the tenderness that he accumulated all his life, that the hateful Pansy could not steal with her disgusting kisses.   
  
"May I?" he asked, mentioning to her lap with his head.   
  
"Sure, Malfoy..."   
  
Draco put, very carefully, his head in Ginny's lap, while he looked at her suave face. She looked back into his silver eyes, and how his hair suspended over them, certainly a very pretty vision. Draco opened his mouth and muttered,   
  
"You know, Ginny, I never thought that I would find someone like you..."   
  
"I never imagined that you could be this way..." She answered, touching his wet hair, silver ... gold... so pretty...   
  
"So you believed in my little play too? It's very easy, you know... it's was, just act like a git, and answer what no one wants to hear... and sure, seem to hate the whole word." He smiled.   
  
"And I made the opposite: always telling what everyone wants to hear, being useful, careful... and no one really cared, after all."   
  
He was still looking at her face, a face that was very cute, illuminated by the crackle of the fireplace.   
  
"Ginny, you wouldn't mind if I continue faking all this, do you?"   
  
"What you mean?" She asked, very confused.   
  
"Oh... If... if someone suspect that I'm talking to you, I prefer really don't imagine what they would said about me..."   
  
"What??? Are you are ashamed of me, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, while she pushed his head away from her body.   
  
"Slow down, Ginny... It's just because... I... I'm mean... bad guy... you know....? "   
  
"No!?! I should have believed in Ron when he told me... that.. that you just wanted take advantage on me, all this huggy huggy thing... lying over me.... and now this! You want just pretend that you don't know me!"   
  
"Ginny, stop it!!!" Draco yelled, while he were holding her arms, pushing her on the sofa's back. "You know that I'm very glad.. and more than that... for have found you, but I can't do this... suddenly abandon all I've build until now!"   
  
"And what did you build? Two or three servants and lots of enemies?"   
  
"Yes, may be this way... but afterwards... they.... respect me" - concluded Draco, in a mutter... "I just need to look all nasty, then no one asks me anything and they don't find... this.. this stupid and weak person that I am."   
  
"Oh, so you want to hide from the world?" She took her arms away from his strong hands. "So, please, get away and hide from me too! I can't... I don't know how to fake this like you, Malfoy!"   
  
"Ha. I almost believed it. It's was too good to be true." And then he stood up, looking one last time at Ginny, who was shivering with fury and was sitting very confused on the sofa. "Bye Weasley." And he walked away to the Slytherin dorm.   
  
She waited until the steps stopped, and went to the Gryffindor tower. Even though she was trying really hard to control herself, she banged open the door of the room, that she was actually sharing with Hermione. Hermione woke up.   
  
"Ginny? Is that you...?" Hermione asked, sleepily.   
  
"Yes, it's me... go to sleep 'Mione..." she muttered.   
  
"What's happening... hmm... is it time to get up?" Hermione asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting on her bed.   
  
"No. Is very early... I was just... just... drinking some water... good night, Mione" Still muttering, Hermione lay down again and turn around, falling sleeping instantaneously. Ginny lay down, and started to cry, very quietly, as she always did. Good Night ex-dear-friend-Draco, and, just a second later, she listened, Good night ex-dear-friend-Ginny. A snap. They were both asleep.   
  
Draco dreaming that he was running and running in a very dark and dirty field, and he couldn't find anyone, until he went into a village of stone houses. But, surprisingly, all the people that he found there didn't have a face. Then, he saw, in the end of a tinny street, and red reflection shining. He ran to the person with the fiery head, and touch her shoulder, saying: Come on Ginny, we gotta go! And when she turned to his side, he could see that even she... she didn't have a face. He woke up covered in sweat.   
  
In her dream, Ginny was walking slowly, around the lake. Darkness. Muttering. She wanted to hold up her wand, but she couldn't move her hand. She walked towards the thicket. That moment, one rising star illuminated Draco, looking asleep. Draco! Let's get away from here! But his sad silver eyes pointed towards the sky, and she realized that he... he wasn't breathing. She woke up with a faint pain in her heart.   
  
***   
  
  
  
Draco saw Crabbe and Goyle at the common room, and they went down together to the main room, for breakfast. Ginny found Hermione at the bathroom. They went down together to breakfast.   
  
Empty words. Useless talk. The Slytherin table was agitated, as always. Harry and Ron were talking about the next trip to Hogsmeade, and Hermione was reading her new Aritmancy book. Ginny was drawing clouds with her cookie into the pumpkin pie.   
  
She looked at the Slytherin table. At Draco, more specifically. He was laughing, but not the same laughter as yesterday, it was an... empty laughter. Draco looked back to her. She was alone, also empty. Pansy nudged Crabbe, who nudged Goyle, who nudged Draco. He simulated another fake laugh and muttered something about the Weasley's poverty. They laugh again. Ginny looked at her pie again. She tried not to cry. One little tear fell. Draco, the one of last night, he must have been a dream, because he, the one that was laughing, was still dirty and cruel.   
  
Classes. History of Magic. Transfiguration. Ginny, distracted, was pushing and shoving a little book all around her table. She never knew such a long day. Draco was listening to Goyle's muttering, he was pointing at Neville who was full of colored bubbles in his whole body, crying. Harry was pointing to Malfoy. Obviously, they think it was me.   
  
"What's up, Potter? I know that you love me and can't stop looking at me, but, please, try to control you feelings..." Said Draco, in a malicious and drawn tone.   
  
"Shut your bloody mouth, Malfoy. And take the spell off of Neville!"   
  
" 5 points off from Gryffindor, because of Mr. Potter interrupting." Yelled Snape, while he was giving Neville a nasty purple potion. - "And more 5 for Neville's distraction, and because the rat's eyes should had been cut, not mashed."   
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron were murmuring with each other, looking at Malfoy's potion with an air of suspicion. Draco was looking back, carefully._ Don't you see that it wasn't me?_   
  
  
  


  
_Next chapter: Wow, Draco knows all of the secret affair of Hemione and... ??? and use it to get __something_ from Sweet!Ginny... it's a very short chapter, so I'll put it briefly, as sson as my b-readers correct it to me... ö) So... Hannah and Debra, hurry up! (just kidding, dear, take the time you'll need ö))  
Again, I beg you, **review**...And sorry about my very very poor English, I write quite well in Portuguese... if you can understand it, go to [ the Portuguese Version][1]

   [1]: http://www.orbita.starmedia.com/elaboral/draco/ff_solitarios.htm



	3. A Day too Long

_A/N - Oh, I'm sorry I took this long to post it... and.. one more time, I want to thanks my b*reader, or I must say, my BRAND NEW b*reader? Who is also brazilian, and translates sooooo good and soooooo better than I, that I'm almost calling her my co-author... I just Luv you, Ana! ö)   
  
_

Chapter 3: A day too long

Draco was having lunch, sitting in his usual place at the Slytherin table, between Crabbe and Goyle. Suddenly he heard a loud snap, followed by some muted noises and the sound of the voice he was longing to hear. _Draco? Can you hear me?_ He glanced at the Gryffindor table, but didn't see her._ Ginny? Is that you? _   
  
_Yeah, it's me. I'm in the Winter Room. Can you come here? We need to talk..   
  
Oh... I guess. Have you eaten yet?   
  
No. I'm not hungry.   
  
Don't be silly, I'll bring you something to eat._   
  
Snap. Goyle was watching Draco, looking scared.   
  
"Draco, are you ok? You're... you're... looking kind of weird... staring at nothing"   
  
"Nothing is happening. I'm fine. "   
  
"So.. ok!" and Goyle went back attacking his lunch with manners that would make a pig proud.   
  
Draco discretely wrapped a slice of pie in a napkin, and put the tiny package in his robe pocket. After filling his glass with pumpkin juice, he walked out of the room as calmly as he could.   
  
In the winter room, Ginny was sitting on he floor, staring anxiously at the door. Suddenly, she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. She was about to get up when whoever was outside spoke.   
  
"No, Ron... not here..." whispered a girly voice.   
  
"Oh, Mione... hmm... please..."   
  
"Ron? Mione? What are you doing?" said Ginny, opening the door. The kissers broke off their embrace, leaving Ginny starring at a very red Hermione and a disheveled Ron.   
  
"Ginny?!?" they yelled, together.   
  
"What hell is going on?"   
  
"Oh... mm... it's not what you're thinking.." muttered Ron, scared.   
  
Hermione gave him a dirty look. "Ginny isn't stupid, you know. Look, Ginny, Ron and I ... we're dating... but...we really don't want Harry to know just yet." said Hermione, trying her best to look serious. "You understand, don't you?"   
  
"Mm... that's ... that's all right..." Ginny said, while was thinking in Draco coming... if Ron saw him... "I won't tell Harry a thing."   
  
"So... thanks... and...Good Bye" muttered Hermione.   
  
"Bye sis!" said Ron, catching Hermione's hand and dragging her out of the room.   
  
As soon as they were gone, Draco run into the room.   
  
"Ginny, did I really hear that???"   
  
"Oh... the Mione, Ron and Harry thing? Yeah, I've known about it for a while, they didn't think I'd notice.   
  
"And why can't the Potter Hero know it?" asked Draco, sitting, putting the pie and the glass in front.   
  
"Mm.. I don't really know. Maybe he likes her too..."   
  
"Wow, just wait till I tell the Slytherins!!!!" his silver eyes were shining...   
  
"Don't even think about it, Draco. Seriously, they would kill me." muttered Ginny, starting to eat her pie.   
  
"If I promise not to tell, would you forgive me for yesterday?" He suddenly looked very interested in his shoes. Apologies obviously didn't come easy for Draco.   
  
Ginny smiled, and lifted his chin to make him look into her eyes.   
  
"Only if you forgive me too, Malfoy..." She said the name playfully, now knowing how much he prized his individuality, much more than the harsh labels his family name entailed.   
  
They smiled.   
  
"I missed you very much, Ginny... I had this awful dream..." Draco was looking very into her brown eyes, and she was felt herself blushing.   
  
"It can't have been as awful as mine..."   
  
They finished lunch hurriedly, as Draco had to go to his Arithmancy class. Ginny had to go to her DADA class. They agreed to meet by the lake in the evening, both amazed at whatever was happening to them, at the strong bond that formed between them so fast and naturally that it felt as if it had always been there.   
  
Ginny entered the DADA classroom wearing a dreamy expression. Draco wore a similar expression going to Arithmancy, scaring the hell out of some Hufflepuffs by actually smiling at them. No one noticed when they stared blankly ahead.   
  
_Ginny, hi!   
  
Draco, I'm in the middle of class...   
  
Oh, sorry about that...   
  
Well, what is it?   
  
Oh, it's silly, I just wanted to know if we could have dinner there, I can take some food I have up in my dorm. I want to be with you, not staring at you from across the hall!   
  
Maybe, Draco maybe. Bye now, and pay attention to class!   
  
Bye Gin!_   
  
"Draco... Draco!" Goyle whispered, " Have you finished your exercises yet?"   
  
"Yeah, catch!" he said, pushing a piece of parchment covered with numbers to him.   
  
Classes seemed to go on forever. They both felt that the day had developed a few extra hours. When Ginny finally arrived, Draco had already stretched his cloak on the ground, and scattered some every flavor beans and chocolate frogs all around the cloak. She put the juice she'd brought along down, and Draco conjured glasses.   
  
"Wow, what took you so long? I was beginning to think that I would die here, alone, waiting for you to show up." Draco muttered, tenderly.   
  
"Don't be silly, I had to get the juice..." said Ginny, sitting down beside him.   
  
"How was your day?" He asked, lying back and looking at her.   
  
She smiled. Though she had heard that question often enough, it was the fist time she felt someone really cared for the answer.   
  
"Well.. today I..."   
  
  
  


  
_Next chapter: A little heart is broken... our bad!Pansy shows her fellings... a dead, but no rotten body is found, and... some House-Elves!  
Again, I beg you, **review**...And sorry about my poor English (not so bad, now I get this amazing b*r, thanks again Ana!), I write quite well in Portuguese... if you can understand it, go to [ the Portuguese Version][1], that's finished already_

   [1]: http://www.orbita.starmedia.com/elaboral/draco/ff_solitarios.htm



	4. Confusion, Part II

_A/N. Hey, I'm here, again, to thanks the reviews, because without them, I wouldn't write/translate this anymore, and sure, to my dearest b-reader, Ana, who is doing this amazing job, helping me to make this readable... and if you read the first chap a loooong time ago, read it again, she edited it to me too, and now, it's wonderfull!   
Again, the characters are J.K.Rowling's, but I own the plot, Tobby, Mobby, and Jake! Enjoy it!   
  
_

Chapter 4: Confusion, Part II

  
A few minutes after sunset, Ginny spoke.   
  
" Draco, I'd better go back to the castle, or Harry and Ron will start looking for me... you know..."   
  
"Oh yeah... that's, ok Ginny...I wish you could stay, but we can always meet again tomorrow..."   
  
"Sure we can, and we can talk tonight too, can't we?"   
  
"Yeah. I'll go in a few minutes, so they won't suspect that we were together," he said, calmly.   
  
Ginny stood up, brushed down her robes and lowered her head in Draco's direction. He looked into her brown eyes. She smiled and kissed his forehead.   
  
"See ya!" she said, running across the garden.   
  
_See ya, honey..._ Draco thought, wondering if he'd ever be able to say it out loud. He gave hear a good lead, and then stood up, took his cloak and went back to the Slytherin common room.   
  
Ginny met Ron and Harry at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. They looked at her suspiciously.   
  
"Where were you? We've been looking for you for a while, you know." Ron scolded.   
  
"I.. I was.. walking around the grounds..." she said, faintly.   
  
"For Gryfindor's sake, Ginny. Please, don't tell me that you were with that Malfoy git... you know that he only wants to screw up our lives..." Ron said, his eyes glinting dangerously.   
  
"Look, Ron, I'm tired now... tired of you, and tired of this Malfoy stuff... ok? Leave me alone... and I wasn't with Dra.. with Malfoy."   
  
"Mmm.. all right, then " he said to her, and then, glancing at Harry, he said, in a low voice, "Let's go, Harry, Hermione must be waiting at Hagrid's"   
  
"That's right.. bye Ginny" Harry said.   
  
"Can I... may I... go with you?" asked Ginny, in a very low voice.   
  
"I don't think so. It's a bit of a secret." said Ron, turning his back to Ginny, and pulling Harry by his sleeve.   
  
_I wonder what that was all about. Maybe I'll try to figure it out later..._ Ginny climbed through the Fat Lady's portrait, walked across the room without being noticed, and once in her dorm, crashed on her bed.   
  
  
  
"Draco, Draco! You've got an owl! Pandora is waiting for you in the dorm. And she bit my ear..." said Goyle, in a pouting tone that did not suit his large frame. He was pointing to a dark gray, almost black owl, just inside the half open door.   
  
"Ok, Goyle...I'll get it in a moment" answered Draco, dreamily.   
  
Goyled run off to join Crabbe near the fireplace, and the pair retured to their own doings. Draco entered the dorm, the familiar damp smell hitting him hard. Pandora flew quickly in his direction as soon he walked trough the door.   
  
"Very good, Pan... good girl..", he said, touching the owl's fluffy head. "Don't leave my mail with anybody else, always give it to me personally..."   
  
He untied the parchment from the owl's leg, and Pandora flew off to the owlery. Draco turned his attention to the letter. _  
  
"Draco   
  
  
  
They found Narcissa. Come to the Manor tonight. I've already sent Dumbledore an owl, and our coach will be waiting for you in the evening. You should be able to go back in a day or two.   
  
  
  
Lucius."_   
  
  
  
He looked trough the window and saw the coach with the familiar silver M on the ceiling waiting near the south entrance. He sighed. He suddenly noticed that someone else was in the dorm. Draco turned around and faced Pansy Parkinson.   
  
"Sighing for the Weasley, Draco...?" She asked, almost whispering. Her black eyes were shining dangerosly .   
  
"What did you say, Pansy?"   
  
"Do you think I'm blind? She came into the castle with this... happy face, and then just a few minutes later you come in, wearing the same happy face... are you dating that Gryffindor?"   
  
"WHAT?" Draco yelled, pulling Pansy from the shadows. "How dare you say anything about Gin.. about Weasley?" ops, that will go a long way to convince her... he thought. "I mean.. I wasn't with that girl."   
  
"So you deny that you're snogging with that Weasley cow, Draco?" She asked, wrestling herself from his grasp.   
  
"Of course I do!!!"   
  
"Then kiss me, Draco..." she was getting closer and closer, her face almost touching his...   
  
"Get off me, Pansy! I'm busy and.. I don't want to hug you, or kiss you or touch you at all!"   
  
"Oh.. are you sure? Are you Weasley's Property now?" she said, furious, pacing around Draco.   
  
"Shut up, and get out of my dorm!" yelled Draco, pushing her out of the room.   
  
Pansy looked like she was going to reply, but Draco slammed the door in her face.   
  
Oh, good... that's all I needed... Pansy thinking I like Gin. but... can it be?   
  
  
  
Ginny was in bed. Ron is always bugging me, I mean, what did he think I was doing? Dating Malfoy? He might be thinking that I fancy Draco.. but.. can it be possible?   
  
  
  
_Oh, for Wand's Sake.. I'm in love with Weasley...   
  
Charmed cauldron.. I'm in love with Draco..._   
  
  
  
Snap. _  
  
Ginny? Are you listening?   
  
Ops... Draco? Yeah, I'm... how long have you been here?   
  
I've just performed the spell. Why? Are you doing something naughty?   
  
No.. nothing.. what's up?   
  
Me.. I.. wow...   
  
You..?   
  
Oh, Ginny, I...   
  
Draco? What's wrong   
  
I'm going home. They found her.   
  
Wow. Mmm.. and when you get back?   
  
I don't know. Maybe in the weekend....   
  
Be strong, ok? Remember, you can always talk to me...   
  
Oh, it's so good to hear this.. but I think... that it will be awful.   
  
But you can handle this, you know... I know you can.   
  
I have to. And.. don't forget about me while I'm not here, ok?   
  
As if I could! And if you need to talk, I'm just a spell away. Bye...   
  
Bye Gin.   
  
Snap.   
  
  
  
I wonder if he heard something he shouldn't...._ Ginny was thinking to herself when Hedwig flew through the window.   
  
"Hey, what's that, Hedwig?" Ginny asked sharply, Hedwig's sudden appearance having snapped her out of her reverie. She took the letter and read it. _  
  
"Ginny,   
  
  
  
You must get Harry's cloak, which is next to the fireplace, under the blue chair, it the Common Room. You may not, actually you MUST NOT come to Hagrid's, you must give it to Hedwig and and let her brings it to us.   
  
  
  
Ron."_   
  
  
  
Ginny glanced at the owl and got up from her bed. _They trust this owl more than they trust me..._ She went down to the dorm, took the cloak from it's hiding place and, defying her brother's warning, decided to take it down to Hagrid's herself.   
  
She went through the portrait and stumbled against someone who was standing just outside.   
  
"Ouch... I'm sorry.." muttered Ginny, trying to find out who was there.   
  
"No sorry, Weasley. Shut up your bloody mouth and listen to me. There are some ... things... I need to tell you. " a hoarse female voice that Ginny didn't recognize muttered, "About you lovely Dracy..."   
  
"What? My what?" she muttered, while pushing the stranger into the light. She was a Slytherin girl, who always sat next to Draco... "Who the hell are you?"   
  
"Pansy, Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy's girlfriend."   
  
"Draco Malfoy's what?" Ginny asked, dazed._ Girlfriend? He certainly would have told her..._ but she remembered him saying her name... Pansy...   
  
"GIRLFRIEND. And you'd better get the hell away from him, hear me, Weasley? Or he just might do something you may not like... you're too innocent for him."   
  
"Wha.. what?"   
  
"Uh, Weasley, I think you're just a little deaf. But you're warned. Watch out, because Draco is not a lil' boy. He's a man. And he's MY man. You're warned."   
  
Pansy turned on her heels and disappeared around a corner. Ginny was shivering. She went back to her dorm and allowed Hedwig to deliver the cloak. She suddenly didn't care that Ron was avoiding her. She could swear she heard a cracking noise in her chest. It was her heart breaking once more.   
  
  
  
The Manor seems much farther somehow... thought Draco, looking out of the carriage window. _I'll talk Gin... Merlin, I miss her already... I might... tell her I'm in love... or maybe not..._ He took his wand from one of his pockets and performed the spell. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing._ Did I do something wrong?_ One more time. Nothing. _I wonder... The spell only works if she wants to talk to me too... why doesn't she want to talk to me?_   
  
Draco dropped his wand and rested his head against the window. His heart felt very tight. _What's wrong?_   
  
  
  
_How could I fool myself this much?_ Ginny thought, crying quietly, her face buried in her pillow._ Well, it's not his fault... he didn't lead me on... he just needed a friend but... Oh, why did I let him sweep me off my feet this fast?_   
  
Deciding that being alone was the very last thing she wanted, Ginny rubbed her eyes and started down the stairs to the common room. She was almost knocked over by Hermione, who was rushing out of her own dormitory.   
  
"Ginny... you're here..." Hermione stammered when she Ginny.   
  
"Yep."   
  
Hermione was holding a large book, called_ 'Painful Charms: How to inflict and repel pain.' _   
  
"Where are you going, Mione? Can I come too? I'm feeling a bit lonely." Ginny pleaded, almost afraid of the answer.   
  
"Oh, Ginny, not today, okay? We're a bit busy..." said Hermione, leaving the room. "If you fell lonely, go take a look at the library... a god book helps." she said, hurrying out of the portrait hole.   
  
"Sure" muttered Ginny, with no emotion. "Library."   
  
She took a random book from a table, and started thumbing through the pages.   
  
Ironically, she found a chapter titled "Wizard Love: to mend a broken heart". She started to read about deep crushes and charming wizards. Eventually, she fell asleep on the pages.   
  
  
  
When the coach arrived at the Manor, Draco was asleep. Jake, the butler, knocked at the window to wake him up.   
  
"Hmmm... where, what.. mmm.. hi Jake..." muttered Draco, opening the door, and walking into the house, while Tobby and Mobby, two of the Malfoy house-elves, carried his trunk.   
  
"How was the trip, sir?" asked Jake, while Draco walked across the door, into the house entrance hall.   
  
"Fine, Jake... just fine..."   
  
As Draco started up the stairs, the constant cold wind that filled the Manor chilling his spine, Jake said:   
  
"You father asked you to take a shower and get dressed properly for the ceremony, that will take place at the sunshine."   
  
"And how about the lunch?"   
  
"It will be served in your bedroom, sir." With that statement, Jake returned to the kitchen   
  
"Sure... what was I thinking, why would anyone have lunch with me...." muttered Draco, walking up the ivory steps.   
  
At the top of the stairs, he walked trough the corridor, turned two or three times, walking between walls covered with pictures of all the Malfoy ancestors. Some pretty ladies where smiling, the men, generally surly, where muttering by themselves or in groups, pointing at Draco.   
  
_They know that I didn't deserve to be a Malfoy... they know that I'm too weak... but only they know... only them..._   
  
Finally, he walked trough the heavy door leading to his bedroom. He closed the door silently. Beside of his bed was a trembling tray of fruit. It was trembling because Tobby the house-elf was carrying it.   
  
"Tobby! This tray is too heavy for you!" Draco scolded gently, removing the tray from the elf's hands, and putting it on the bed.   
  
"Tobby is sorry, sir... Tobby is very weak" the elf squeaked, making reverences to Draco.   
  
"Stop it, Tobby, you know that when we're alone you may act normally..." Draco said, while was taking an apple from the tray.   
  
"But sir.. you sir are always so cruel... like a good master should" Tobby said, biting his fingers.   
  
"Tobby, are you all right? When was I cruel to you?" Draco asked, biting the apple and looking very curiously at the elf, who was staring at him with fear in his eyes and banging his head against the wall.   
  
"No, sir... you sir is bad, sir, you punish Tobby, PUNISH! Just like Tobby deserves!" squealed the house-elf, digging his nails into his arms.   
  
"Ouch, Tobby, stop it..." said Draco, sitting on the bed. "Come on, sit down..."   
  
"So that's the way a Malfoy treats a house-elf?" Draco heard his father's voice echoing in his bedroom like a peal of thunder.   
  
"Ah... hmmm... Lucius... I... "Draco stammered nervously, his father standing in the doorway. Tobby run out of the room, crying.   
  
"Don't say a word. I saw what you did, Draco. Treating an house elf like an equal? What's the next step? Get friends with Potter? Marry a mud-blood? No... you'll want more... WILL YOU LIVE WITH THE MUGGLES?" yelled Lucius, sarcasm dripping from his voice..   
  
"But dad.. father... Lucius..."   
  
"But? No but! You bring shame to the Malfoy name! If you can't be cold, organized and pure enough, FAKE IT!   
  
"But I fake, I fake!" Draco said, his eyes brimming with tears. " I pretend more than I can! I'm cruel all the time, with every one! I complain, and yell, and I make fun from Mud Bloods and Gryffindors and..."   
  
"And as soon turn my back and you ask a house elf to sit on your bed?!"   
  
"He was tired... the tray was too heavy..."   
  
"And...? He is a house elf! A slave. He was BORN to serve this family! You must understand that WE ARE BETTER!" yelled Lucius, " And now, dry those muggle tears, eat and FAKE you're normal. Soon, our guests will arrive, and you won't humiliate me even more."   
  
As soon as Lucius crossed the door, Tobby apparated at Draco's side.   
  
"I was trying to warn you sir, I tried..." he was almost crying, nervously.   
  
"That's all right Tobby, I'll take a shower... everything is going to be fine..." said Draco, drying his face. "Everything is going to be fine." Especially if I manage to talk to Ginny.   
  
Tobby kept gazing at Draco while he picked up a towel and entered his bathroom. Then, when he closed the door, Tobby whispered, sadly.   
  
"Poor young Mister Malfoy..."   
  
  
  


  
_Next chapter: Wel, I may tell you the title... **The way that ALL hearts broke** That sounds sad enough? And... a very expected kiss...  
Once more, I beg you, **review**...And sorry about my poor English (not so bad, now I get this amazing b*r, thanks again Ana!), I write quite well in Portuguese... if you can understand it, go to [ the Portuguese Version][1], that's finished already_

   [1]: http://www.orbita.starmedia.com/elaboral/draco/ff_solitarios.htm



	5. Breaking Hearts

_A/N. Sorry I took sooooooooo long.. but my B-Reader almost re-wrote this chap... I was just... awful in this translation and she toke two weeks editing and rewriting.. I need to thank her a LOT!!! Ana, I just LOVE YOU!!! You all must thanks her too, because without her hard job, this would be sooooooo unreadable... ö) Let's all say THANK YOU, ANA!!! ö)_  
  


Chapter 5: Breaking Hearts 

Ginny woke up tired and sore the day after Draco left for the Manor. She still was using the book as a pillow. Walking down the corridor, she glanced into the sixth year dormitory, and saw that Hermione was still sleeping soundly.   
  
She must have arrived very late... _she often arrives late, specially if they get agitated like yesterday... Ginny made her way to the bathroom, and while she was showering, she remembered Draco, Pansy, and the way her heart leapt every time she thought that at least they were friends. Suddenly, she wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice, his acid humor..._ that was when she heard the familiar noise in her head. Snap. _  
  
Ginny?   
  
Draco... hi...   
  
Why didn't you want to talk to me yesterday? I tried all day...   
  
Oh... hmm... I was kind of busy... but are you ok?   
  
Not really... My father caught me talking to a house-elf yesterday. It was horrible.   
  
I'm sorry you have to go through all that... Was the elf the one in that picture you showed me?   
  
Which one?   
  
The one with you both in brooms...   
  
Oh, yes.. That was Tobby...   
  
And... How about the ceremonies?   
  
They were solemn, as usual. She was truly beautiful... I think the snow preserved her very well.   
  
I'm sorry...   
  
No, that's ok... I just wanted to tell you that I'll arrive back in Hogwarts tonight, maybe even before that.   
  
Oh... hmm...   
  
What's up, Gin? You seem.. weird...   
  
Everything is fine, Draco.. I.. I'll wait for you.   
  
If you say so... bye.   
  
Bye._   
  
Snap   
  
  
  
Draco scratched his head, intrigued. _I wonder what happened. What if she found out that I.. I like her? No, that's impossible! But she was so.. cold._ He finished his bunch of grapes, said goodbye to Tobby, entered the coach and traveled back to Hogwarts.   
  
_I'll find out what happened when I get there. And then.. maybe... I'll tell her._ He smiled to himself and waved to the coachman. The carriage hurried out of the gates. Soon, Draco was asleep, his face touching the glass, looking like the picture of innocence. .   
  
  
  
Ginny finished her shower and got ready for Care of the Magical Creatures. As she walked out to the courtyard, she could see the creature that would be the topic of class: a beautiful, shiny unicorn.   
  
"Hi Ginny, how are you?" Hagrid asked, calmly, while piling more and more grass near the place where the students were standing, trying to attract the unicorn.   
  
"I'm fine, Hagrid... but you look a little tired" she answered, staring at the dark circles around his black eyes, under his beard.   
  
"Yeah... we had this agitated night..." he smiled.   
  
_I figured that... Hagrid, Herm, Harry, Ron, the cloak, suspicious books..._   
  
The class was very calm, mostly because unicorns are shy and quiet creatures. As the class ended, Ginny walked to Charms class, taught by Professor Flitwick. She was walking across an empty corridor when someone behind an armor whispered.   
  
"Ginny, come here..."   
  
She walked cautiously to the armor and saw Harry, hiding next to the wall.   
  
"Harry?" she asked, a little confused at his secrecy.   
  
"Look Ginny, if you met Herm' and Ron, please tell them to go to the Whomping Willow, that I'll be waiting for them there, ok?"   
  
"Oh.. that's ok..." she answered, without feeling. Not worth bothering to ask to go with them, if I already know the answer. She smiled at him and turned on her heels, resuming her way to class, while Harry, very quietly, went to the opposite way.   
  
When she was almost at Charms Room, she felt a warm hand pulling her arm. She was being dragged into a dark and empty classroom.   
  
_I can't believe it... why do these things always happen to me?_   
  
"What the hell is happe... who is... how dare...?" she tried to ask, confused, while whoever it was dragged her further and further into the room.   
  
"I missed you so much I could die, Gin, I just couldn't wait until tonight to see you" she heard Draco's familiar voice whisper, still holding her arm   
  
"Draco? But... why here?" she asked. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, she could make out his body near her own.   
  
  
  
Suddenly her arm was pulled, and, next thing she knew, her body was snuggled against Draco's, who was holding her gently. She felt warm all over, her face was burning, her shoulder pulsing where his head was touching it   
  
"Oh, Gin... it was awful,..." he said, in a very low voice, and started to cry softly. "He made me mistreat Tobby in front of all those people, he told me that I... that I ashamed the Malfoy family...   
  
Trying to comfort him, she run her hands through his hair, amazed at how soft and baby-like it felt.   
  
"Oh, Draco, you know that you are a better person than all those people. You know that you're very special..."   
  
"But why me? Why I couldn't be born in the right family, and be allowed to be what I really am? Why does everyone expect me to be cruel, when that's not who I really am?" he was sobbing harder, his body trembling next to hers.   
  
So it happened. Draco lifted his head from Ginny's shoulder, just as the wind blew the curtain open. The moon lit their faces. She looked scared and quiet. He was pale, his face covered with tears. Draco lowered his head and closed his eyes. Ginny hadn't the time or the will to think about anything, until she felt his lips touching her own. He felt all the sadness fly away with the rush of love that he felt coming from Ginny.   
  
Ginny felt that she would faint at any moment, so she held on to Draco's back with one hand, the other pulling his head closer to her own. His hands run over her back, caressing Ginny, holding her as near as possible, with a despair that he never felt before.   
  
  
  
It was a good thing that the wind also closed the door, far at that very moment, Harry hurried by the corridor, furious, almost running to the Gryffindor tower, followed closely by Hermione and Ron, who hurried after him. But that wind, which protected the privacy of Draco and Ginny's first kiss, also the couple pull apart, suddenly scared.   
  
"Oh, Gin... I'm sorry... I... I'm sorry... I didn't want to... force you... to do anything you don't want to..." he said quickly, praying silently for her to say he had nothing to feel sorry for. That wasn't what she said   
  
"You're sorry?" she cried. "You are sorry? It isn't to me that you need to say that, Malfoy!" and she run from the room. Draco stood on the very spot where they kissed, feeling extremely confused.   
  
_What did I do..._ he was blaming himself, _but it looked like she wanted it too.. and if not to her, to whom I would need to apologize?_ He stared out the window, remembering her warm body, the taste of chocolate on her lips... It suddenly came to him:_ Sure, Malfoy.... I need to apologize to Potter... she was saving her lips for him... she fancies him... how she could ever like me if she is in love with the hero?_ He thought sadly. At least I have something to remember... He smiled faintly, and went to the Slytherin tower.   
  
  
  
  
  
_How - dare - he?_ Ginny was thinking, while she was walking to the Fat Lady's portrait._ That moustache-girlfriend of his told me so... the idiot! He practically attacked me!_ She yelled at the fat lady:   
  
"Hocus Pocus!!!"   
  
"Calm down, girl! You're not the first mad one that I saw today..." muttered the guardian of the Gryffindor entrance, swinging aside so Ginny could pass.   
  
Ginny was crossing the room with angry steps when she came across an unexpected scene: Hermione was standing at Harry's side, and Harry wore the angriest expression Ginny had ever seen, while Ron was talking very passionately to Harry. As it was still class time, the common room was empty, therefore their voices were echoing in the stone walls.   
  
"We never meant to hurt you..." Ron was saying.   
  
".And we didn't want to lose you..." added Hermione, who was trying to touch Harry, who was avoiding her trembling hands.   
  
"Then why did you lie all this time?" Harry yelled.   
  
"We would tell you sometime..."   
  
"We were waiting for the right moment."   
  
"We're sorry that you found it in this way.."   
  
Avoiding Hermione touch once more, Harry stood up.   
  
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I want to be alone." And he started up the stairs to the dorm, followed by Ron.   
  
That was when Hermione saw Ginny, still frozen at the entrance.   
  
"Hi Ginny... how long you've been there?" Hermione asked, nervously.   
  
"Long enough" she said, walking slowly to Hermione.   
  
  
  
Ginny helped Hermione up, and together they walked through the room to the 6th year's dorm, where, lying in her bed, Hermione told Ginny what had happened.   
  
"Ron and I ... we went to the shrieking shack in Hogsmeade. You know there is a passage by the willow... we went there to decide how to talk to Harry about this whole thing... but when we arrived there, we figured that we were all alone... you know... it's very hard to behave yourself when you are alone with the person you love in a place with a bed! We lost control. You can imagine what Harry saw when he arrived suddenly. He stood there frozen, staring at nowhere. I thought that I would die of embarrassment. He turned his back and run away. Ron and I dressed and went after him, and we have been here for almost half an hour, trying to explain ourselves.... but it didn't help."   
  
As she stopped talking, Hermione started to cry. Through her sobs she was saying Harry's name. Ginny, not knowing what else to do, hugged Hermione very tight, until she stopped crying and went to take a bath. As she was leaving the room, Ginny crashed into Ron, who tried to enter the dorm. His shirt was inside out.   
  
"Ginny, did you see Hermione? I wanted..." he started to mumble, without knowing what Ginny knew about it.   
  
"Hermione told me everything. She went take a shower." She said, very seriously.   
  
He hurried to the bathroom, and Ginny walked to the boys' dorms side of the tower.   
  
  
  
  
  
Draco had just entered the common room when, like an avalanche, all the other sixth year students came in from Transfiguration class. Crabbe and Goyle waved to him. They are so stupid that they didn't realize traveled yesterday... Draco thought. Just then Pansy approached him, smiling her cruel smile.   
  
"So, Little Dracy... did you sleep with the Weasley? I didn't see you in the exploding snap championship on the common room, yesterday. And I didn't see you in your bed either, when I was taking a look around" she said, speaking through her teeth.   
  
"That's none of your business, Pansy." he answered calmly, while walking to the boys' dorm, followed closely by the girl.   
  
"It's not nice talk this way to you friends, Dracy... I bet that you are much more patient and cute with the poor redheaded girl..."   
  
"Shut up, Pansy. I'm sick of you. What do you want with me?" he asked, annoyed, standing at the dorm's door.   
  
"You know what I want, Draco. One or two kisses... some hugs. Just do that thing you do." and she winked, making Draco slightly sick.   
  
"You'll never leave me alone just because I kissed you once?" he asked, getting angrier by the minute.   
  
"Yesssssss. You wanted me once, and now you want to run away, is that it?"   
  
"I never wanted you. You forced me and you know that."   
  
"I forced you? Oh, poor Dracy... I violated him!" He shivered at the touch of her hands, with purple nails. "Wow, you look just like Weasley looked when I told her..."   
  
"You what?" He yelled, getting the attention of Millicent and Nancy, two of Pansy's friends that were near them.   
  
"Oh, did that get your attention, Draco? Yeah, it's just what you heard. I told her about our snog sessions, and I really dont' think that she was very pleased.   
  
He looked angrily at Pansy before he turned his backs to her, enter the dorm and shut the door over her cold laugh.   
  
_So that's why she didn't want..._ he thought, hopefully. _Therefore she... she... she LIKES ME!_ He laughed very calmly, took a shower and went to the Great Hall to have dinner._ When she gets there, I'll explain everything to her._ He smiled to himself. Draco was the first one to sit on the Slytherin table. The second to occupy the room. He just wasn't the first one because Neville that was there since the lunch, sleeping. _ I just need to wait... Everything will be just fine._   
  
  
  
While Draco was waiting anxiously in the Great Hall, Ginny knocked on Harry's door. She needed to know how he was, it must had been awful, and no one knew more about broken hearts she did...   
  
"Leave me alone!" he yelled.   
  
"It's Ginny, Harry... I'm coming in." she said, opening the door.   
  
The room was almost dark. The candles were already burning, illuminating Harry, who was sitting on the ground, near the wall in the back of the room. Ginny walked to him, sat down beside him and passed an arm around his shoulders. Feeling the gentle touch, he looked at her. His eyes were full of tears and his skin was wet and cold.   
  
"Why me, Ginny?" he mumbled.   
  
"Why what, Harry? Why did they hide it from you, or why did she pick him and not you?" Ginny asked in a very low voice, brushing the tears from his face .   
  
"Both." He muttered. "I never ever thought... she and Ron... my best friend..." one more tear run down his face as he looked at her.   
  
"Harry, you have to understand... the people... we.. we couldn't control it. you know... If you could, you wouldn't like her, right?"   
  
"Yeah, it's true... but why did they hide it from me? If I knew of this before, I would stop thinking that I still had a chance."   
  
"They didn't want to see you suffer this way. You know them, they are your friends and never would let you be hurt if they could avoid it."   
  
"I know all that, Ginny, but still... it's so awful!"   
  
"I know, Harry. Believe me, I know." She remembered Draco, Pansy, and the wonderful kiss that shouldn't have happened. "I know how it is to want someone who already had someone..." she whispered. "Now, let's go... wash your face, and let's go down to dinner."   
  
Harry stoop up, holding Ginny's hand to help her up too, giving her a brotherly hug, nothing like Draco's. He even kissed her forehead and smiled a little.   
  
"It's better that I take a real shower. Will you wait to have dinner with me?"   
  
Of course I'll wait for you, Harry... I'll be in the common room, ok?"   
  
"Ok. And... thank you very very much, Ginny" he said smiling, and entered the boys' bathroom.   
  
Ginny went into the common room. It was starting to get full because classes were over for day. She looked for Ron and Hermione, and found them sitting on the couch, very quiet. Ginny walked over and spoke slowly.   
  
"Listen to me, both of you. I talked to Harry, and he's feeling a little better, but I think that would be better if he didn't see you for a while. Not together at least... Go have dinner now, while he is taking a shower and we'll eat together later." She stopped talking, felling a little upset with them herself. "I know how this things are, and the last thing that he wants right now is to see you."   
  
"Ok, Ginny." Hermione said, standing up. "Let's go, Ron." she muttered, holding his hand and dragging him out of the room.   
  
Ginny was lost in thought, when Harry touched her hand.   
  
"Harry... you're ready yet?"   
  
"Ah... I decided not to take a shower after all. Let's go?" he asked her, smiling.   
  
This won't work out... She thought while she accepted the arm that Harry offered to her. They went to the Great Hall with their arms linked.   
  
  
  
Draco had been sitting on that same place for almost one hour, but his heart still was beating madly with expectation to see Ginny, touch her... explain all the Pansy thing to her. She can't be mad with me for things I did before I knew her... she'll understand. More people started to come into the room. They went to the Hufflepuff table, to the Ravenclaw table, to the Slytherin table... but he couldn't find Ginny among the Gryffindors.   
  
One time he almost stood up after seeing a fiery head entering the room, but it was just Ron Weasley with Hermione Granger. _This couple, huh..._ he smiled to himself. They sat together, and Draco watched them for a while. He saw when she put her head on his shoulder, and when Ron pulled her face near to his own and they..._ In public!!! _... they kissed.   
  
He saw a flash of red at the door. It was Ginny! But she was... Holding arms with Potter!!! Draco's heart almost stopped beating. He as still staring at them, horrified, when Harry saw Hermione and Ron kissing. But Draco didn't see that. He just saw Harry pull Ginny close e press his lips to hers.   
  
Ginny's eyes were wide with confusion, looking all around the room desperately. Everyone was watching the scene. And she almost fainted when she saw Draco standing by the Slytherin table.   
  
_Crack._ It was Draco's teenage heart shattering._ How much stupider can I get? Why would she ever like the dirty, cruel and Slytherin Malfoy if she can have the hero, the brave and good Harry Potter that she always wanted? _   
  
When Ginny finally freed herself from Harry's strong arms, all the room was still staring at them. Her throat tightened when she saw Draco avoiding her eyes and leaving the Hall, looking miserable   
  
"What the hell was that, Harry?!?!" She yelled, while she dragged the boy to an empty seat on the Gryffindor table. The room already had recovered its habitual noisy ambient.   
  
"Oh... hmm.. Ginny, I'm sorry... I.. " he started to say, looking at his feet.   
  
"What did you want? Make Hermione jealous? Even if you'd just kissed professor McGonnagal she wouldn't be jealous now!!! She doesn't like you, and you know it. But you think that it's fair? To toy with me? I just wanted to help you , Harry, and really, I expected more from you!" And turning her back to the table, she left the room. Harry just sat there, the remorse he was feeling clear in his eyes.   
  
  
  


  
_Next chapter: Finally, Snape appears... and sure, he disturbs our favorite couple, on a very... personal moment!...  
**Review**? Thanks again Ana!, I write quite well in Portuguese... if you can understand it, go to [ the Portuguese Version][1], that's finished already_

   [1]: http://www.orbita.starmedia.com/elaboral/draco/ff_solitarios.htm



	6. How Draco and Ginny got detention

_N/A. I'm sorry I took so long, but I was very occupied and also very sad because I don't have a breader anymore :(   
If anyone wants to be my breader AND my translation revisor, email me kelly@hogwarts.zzn.com (Hullo Ron *wink wink* *hint hint*)   
ps. This chapter wasn't b-readed and I'm sorry about the English Grammar mistakes. Very sorrry. That's why I wait so long for posting. I'm afraid everyone will hate my story because I just *suck* at English, please, forgive me ^_^   
_   
  
Chapter 6: When Draco and Ginny got detention 

_Harry Potter this, Harry Potter that... figure it! How I, Draco Malfoy, can get more stupid than this? She always... always *liked* him. Why she would change her feelings right now...? Draco was wondering, sitting on his private bush, next to the lake. He was uprooting bunches of grass and flowers. Suddenly some step noise broke his muttering._

"I knew that you would be here," Ginny said

"And what do you want?" He asked, looking directly to her face.

"I came to... hmm... explain myself," She said in a very low voice, while she was sitting in the ground, not so next to him as the usual.

"You don't have to explain nothing to me." He said nervously.

"I know, but I saw the way you stormed out the hall"

"I've just finished eating that moment."

"Don't be silly. The plates where still empty." she answered, smiling at him.

"So do it. Explain yourself. Since when you and Potter are... dating?" Draco asked quickly, before he lost his courage.

"Me and Harry?" She laught very loudly. "I don't _date Harry Potter, and I never did it, Draco... and about that kiss, he just wanted to make Hermione jealous..."_

"But she wasn't even looking at you." He smiled mischievously "She was almost eating your brother..."

"And that was the reason... " Ginny concluded, looking deep into his silver eyes. "And you have nothing to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah... Pansy told me," He said, feeling his body warm and full of hope. _She likes me.... Really likes me, likes me, likes!!! _

"And that was all truth?" she asked, her heart bumping out of rhythm.

"Yeah, it was," He said, a little ashamed. _I don't think that some old snogs will make difference now... "It was truth."_

"And..." Ginny still was feeling the bumps and still was looking into his eyes.

"I can't change that, Ginny, you know it."

_How you can't, you little git? Do you want to stay with Pansy and ask me about Harry??? _

"I don't know it. How you couldn't change that?"

"I just can't, Ginny, that's past, I can't control it... I can't undo it!" He said, starting to fell desperate. _What she wants me to do? Turn back time? _

"But so... do you like her?"

"No! I never ever liked her. She made me do it." He answered, part of him not understanding her questions.

_She made him do it? She forced him to date her? They must have done... they already... and then she charged him about. And now...? _

"What are you thinking about, Gin?" Draco asked, while he approached a few inches, they shoulders already touching.

Ginny pulled away, getting distant again, under Draco's amazed face. _She tried to tell me this... he isn't a boy... he's a man... what he wants with me? What he wants me to do? Ginny brown shining eyes where full of tears when she asked in a cold and hurt voice:_

"What the hell do you want from me, Draco?!"

"I... hmm... I like .. I like you." He said, looking into the wet grass. _What she expects me to do?! "I want... I want to kiss you right now."_

"And how about Pansy?"

"What Pansy has to do with this???" Draco asked, more and more puzzled.

"You know what she has to do with this, WITH YOU!!!"

"No, I don't know. Why you keep talking about that damn girl?"

"Because she is your girlfriend?" Ginny yelled, her eyes red and her face wet with tears.

"My what? I really don't think so..." he said laughing.

"So what did you think she had told me about?" Ginny asked, in a very dry way.

"That she and I... that we've already..." He blushed very suddenly and stopped talk.

"You've already what?" She asked, her whole body shivering. _Please, they can't have did it... please don't... _

"We just kissed a little and... we snogged sometimes..." he said, looking at her pink ears. "But that just happened because she said to me that I wasn't a _real man, because I had never" He blushed one more time, his pale face now had two pink circles on the cheeks. "I've never... kissed someone"_

"What? What did you mean with this?" Ginny left.

"I meant what I said." Draco said, his face turning white again. "But nobody needs to know about that, right?"

"No, sure not" She felt her heart bumping again, but for a totally different reason. Ginny's body was hot and all that was still missing was... The Talk. "Draco, I like you very much too. And I want to" She flushed " to kiss you too."

They approached their heads, looking inside each other eyes. Their nooses knocked. They laugh. They turned their heads to the same side. Knocked the nooses again. They laugh.

"Maybe this isn't the right time..." He said very calm and low. "It has to be more spontaneous, I think. But first, I have to ask you some stuff..."

"So ask it"

"Do you really, really don't like, or fancy Potter?" Draco asked, his voice in a muttering.

"I used to fancy him, but right now, I don't think so."

"And do you want to kiss me, and... stay with me more times?"

"Like dating?" Ginny asked, her lips shivering.

"Yes, like it. But only if you want it, of course. If you just want that tonight, that's ok too... but if you don't want it even right now, if you just want us to be _friends, that's all right..."_

"You are making me nervous with this stuff. You're talking strange things, in a very strange way, Draco" She said, calmly, but then, her voice switched in a acute tone and very quickly and she added "But if you want me to be your girlfriend the answer is yes."

His and her eyes where shinning and the night was pretty dark. They come back to the castle walking side to side. When they were at the first corridor, they broke off. Draco should enter in a fake wall and Ginny should walk upstairs.

"Have sweet dreams, Gin" He said, walking very slowly.

"You too, Draco" She whispered, blowing him a kiss.

He gave two huge and quick steps, and, in just a second, they were with bodies glued, the lips glued, their hearts glued and bumping together... Ginny could fell her body melt and Draco was burning from head to toe.

"Got you!!!" They heard Peeves noisy and irritant voice above them. They broke off more than quickly. "Such a lovely and cheesy scene! The redheaded Gryffindor girl and the silvery Slytherin do love each other!" He laughed, flying around them.

"Shut up, Peeves!" Draco whispered.

"Please, Peeves, be quiet." Ginny added, pale.

"All right, I understand. It's a _forbidden love... the enemies are __in love" Peeves said, very calm and ironic. "But now it's too late, little fellows. You can already see who comes from the darkness? Isn't our most kind and dear professor?"_

Ginny and Draco turned at the same time, to see the growing shadow approaches, and from that shadow, Professor Snape crossing the corridor onto their direction. Peeves just flew away; laughing and making nasty noises, his work was done.

"So, Mr. Malfoy" Snape smiled faintly "and Miss Weasley. What are you doing at this time, out of your respective towers?"

"We were just..." Ginny was shivering, shivering...

"Doing some homework..."

"But aren't you from different years?" Asked Snape, looking oddly happy. "And from different _houses?"_

"We are, but..."

"Mr. Malfoy, you can go to the Slytherin tower, I know you weren't doing nothing that you shouldn't, but the Weasley girl must come with me. I'll take you to Filch. Figure it: One Gryffindor girl walking around, almost midnight. " He said, more cruel than ever.

"If she needs to go" Said Draco, at the start on a low voice, but at the end, with all his conviction, "I'll go with her."

Ginny smiled at him. It was her first detention. And it had to be with Snape! Snape saw her smile and added on his cold voice:

"Such concerning, Mr. Malfoy. What you think your classmates will say about it? You, a cunning Slytherin helping a Weasley?" His eyes, like black holes where now shining, but with angry. "You two go to your towers, and tomorrow you'll know your detentions." They started to walk away, one to each corner of the corridor, their heads down. "And sure. Slytherin will loose 5 points and Gryffindor can loose... 10 points." Snape added, before vanish on the shadows.

Draco was shivering, inside the fake wall. Ginny, pale, was almost at the Fat Lady's portrait. The next day, the whole school should know that they were together when Snape choose the detention. Draco's little world would fall down. He could already see Pansy's scandal and Crabbe and Goyle whispering. Ginny was almost fainting just to think what Ron would say...

Draco entered very slowly into the almost empty common room. He walked silently to his dorm, where Crabbe and Goyle were already snoring. Potions was his first class of the next day, and he could imagine what Snape would do. He was lying in his bed, and slept soon, very tired of the agitated day he had. But before he closed his eyes, he had one last happy tough: _Ginny is mine... _

Ginny entered still shivering by the Fat Lady's Portrait, and in the common room the Quiditch Team was discussing new moves and plans. The next weekend Gryffindor would play its first game, against Ravenclaw. A few people were around the team, so she could cross the room without being noted. She walked into her quiet dorm and sit in her bed. The next day, just after the lunch, she would have potions. She rolled in her bed a little, before she could sleep. Her last tough before she started to have wild and agitated dreams was: _Draco is mine. All mine. _

****

They were preparing the Get-off Concoction, which can make one vomit almost any kind of poison: it was a great relieve while you are searching for an antidote... Draco's potion, as always, was the one Snape praised the most, and for some time, Draco tough that maybe the professor had forgot last night incident. Remembering Ginny's face, he smiled.

"I bet he's planning something!" whispered Ron to Harry, which was already talking to his friends.

"And it must be something nasty. Look at his satisfied face." Harry said, putting two more lizard tails in this cauldron.

The class was almost ending when Draco's hope flew away. Snape cold voice said, echoing in the class:

"I think we're done. Everyone can go, but Potter and Weasley, because I don't like whispering at my class, you both will clean the tables." He looked around, to the students that were living the room and to Harry, that already started to brush Neville's melted cauldron, again. "And you, Mr. Malfoy, come to my table. We need to talk about your detention."

Everyone shivered. Malfoy? Detention? Because of Snape? Something was wrong, very wrong. The students that still were at the room walked away quickly, before Snape have the chance to remember that Draco was his favorite and decided to make anyone else pay.

Just Harry and Ron were at the room, still brushing Neville's table when Snape said, very loud:

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I don't think that you imagined that your detention would _ever be with that __girlfriend of yours, did you?_

Harry and Ron looked to each other, amazed. Draco looked to his feet, blushing. He knew that Harry had listened.

"Yes, sir."

"So... you'll catalog the library's new books, since 8:00 p.m., with Madame Pince." Draco felt one wave of relieves running trough his body. He was imagining another freaky trip around the Forbidden Forest. "And if you want to know," Snape added, his voice mischievously echoing. "Your little friend will change the old archots from the south tower."

Draco shivered. The south tower? It was too cold and with ghosts that are so dreadful that even Peeves never showed up there. And the detention would be in the dark, because the archots should be unfired to be touchable.

Ron and Harry shivered too. They just knew the South Tower from speaks, and Malfoy's girl would have one long night... _She must be Pansy, that mustached girl that sits next to him in the Great Hall, Harry tough._

"But, professor, the South Tower is too... dangerous." Draco whispered, trying to avoid the boys' attention.

But Snape said very loudly, exactly to get attention.

"What a surprise, Draco. You defending that Gryffindor girl."

Harry and Ron couldn't control themselves and muttered, _Who could be Malfoy's Gryffindor girl? _

"I can't change detentions with her?" Draco whispered.

"I didn't heard that, Mr. Malfoy" Snape said, even that he heard every single word. He just wanted to make Draco ashamed in front of his enemies or turn back on his normal cruel state, which Snape really wanted.

_May I say it again? I can't let Ginny in that awful place! But if Potter heard it... he toke a deep breath and said very confident:_

"I would like to change detentions with her, Professor Snape"

Harry poked Ron, who was with his mouth open, his eyes fixed in Draco's face, and said:

"Who you think is this girl, Ron? She makes Malfoy want to change the archots in a totally haunted tower..."

"Totally haunted? More than this. Fred told me once that even the walls are haunted." Ron whispered, amazed.

Snape looked inside Draco's eyes, and maybe thinking that the humiliation Draco passed in front of Harry Potter was enough suffering, Snape said:

"If you want it so much, that's all right. Tonight, be at 8:00 p.m. at the Entrance Hall, and Filch will take you to the entrance of the tower. I don't think he'll want to enter with you." He smiled, cruel. "And you _girlfriend will stay with Pince, at the Library. Now go to away, before I change my mind."_

Draco run away, his ears making strange noises and his hear burning. He hears Snape yell:

"Minus 5 points to Gryffindor because you two are too lazy! Go now!"

Draco heard quick footsteps coming in his direction, and hide behind one large armor, where he heard Ron mutters:

"I could loose 50 points just to hear Malfoy humiliate himself to Snape again!"

Draco shivered and followed to his Divination class, for which he was late yet. What could be worse than this?

****

Ginny just saw Draco at lunchtime, and he seemed even more pale than usual. _Snap. _

_Are you all right, Draco? _

_I'm so-so... you'll know later. _

_I don't understand. _

_Snape. Detention. I'll change torches at the South Tower. _

_South Tower! But this is an awful place, Draco _

_I know. But it isn't the worst part. _

_What? _

_Potter and your brother know about it. _

_How can they... _

_Yeah. _

_Snap _

"Earth to Ginny, Ginny!" Ron was yelling. "Are you here?"

"Hmm... sure I am." She said, still amazed.

"So, who you think it's Malfoy's girlfriend?" He asked, laughing.

"What? Malfoy's what?" Ginny said, suffocating with the juice.

"Ginny, are you fine?" Hermione asked, scared. "You seems pale. We're just betting..."

Harry told her the whole Snape story. She felt pride for Draco's action. He saved her skin.

"... and that's why I think the girl is Parvati" Harry concluded.

"I think that's that is in the 2nd year, the one with the same white hair that he has." Ron said, eating a pumpkin muffin. "He is so vain that he just could like anyone that looks like him, though"

"I still think it's Pansy" Hermione said, looking to the girl at the Slytherins' table. "I know he said Gryffindor girl, but which Gryffindor could be so stupid to fall into his stories?"

Ginny shivered and Ron asked:

"And you, Gin, who you think is the mysterious Malfoy girl?"

"I...I..." She didn't have an idea to say something. "I dunno." She looked at her clock and get to her feet. "I'm late to Potions!"

She hurried away from the Great Hall, followed by the curious looks from Harry and Ron. Draco shivered once more before go to Charms Class, the last of the day.

***

Ginny entered in a still empty potion's room. Only Snape was in there, cleaning his cauldron in the middle of his table.

"Miss Weasley, so punctual..." Snape said in a ironic tone.

She blushed and sit on her usual table, praying to Snape tell her the detention before the room become full of curious students, but as usual, he read her thoughts and just at the middle of the class, while the potions were bubbling and the room was totally quiet, that he said:

"Weasley, come here."

Ginny got up and hurried to his table, and almost knocked down Colin's cauldron, which was looking amazed with the situation.

"Yes, Professor?" She muttered, her head down.

" About your _detention... well, thanks to your __boyfriend, you, Miss Weasley, will help Madame Pince to catalog the new books."_

The whole class looked confused. Ginny in detention? How? She was always the most quiet student and was always reading and walking alone... and there are a boy in the story...

"And don't get late. For each minute that Madame Pince waits for you, Gryffindor will lose 5 points...", his eyes narrowed, "Do you understand?"

"Yes, professor..." she turned her back and then Ginny realized that the whole class was staring at her. She blushed. She stood on her place, frozen, until Snape finish the class. Everybody was whispering when the students left the room. She could hear pieces of muttering: _Boyfriend... it must be Harry.... he kissed Ginny yesterday, didn't you see? _

_**** _

Almost nine o'clock Harry asked Hermione about Ginny. He hadn't saw her since the dinner.

"I didn't see her, and you, Ron?"

"She isn't here?" Ron asked, searching the common room. "Where is she? Maybe she has another class..."

"I don't think so", Harry said, pointing to Colin. "Colin is from her year and he's right there."

Colin, hearing the famous Harry Potter _calling his name, appeared next to the table they were, like he had been summoned._

"Hi Harry, did you call me?"

"No, Colin..." Harry answered, bored. "But... did you see Ginny after the dinner?"

"Oh, yes. She is at the library." Colin answered, smiling at Harry.

"See, Ron? She's just studding!" Hermione said, her eyes shining proudly, while she was embracing Ron.

Harry turned his face, to not she Hermione and Ron together in _that way. Colin was still staring at him._

"She isn't studding. She's on detention!" Colin said, getting his fifteen minutes of fame.

Hermione and Ron broke off. Harry's mouth opened in surprise.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, when he could elaborate words again.

"Yes, I am sure. Snape called her to his desk today... and all the class heard, you know what he does to the Gryffindors..." Colin said, and suddenly he looked thoughtful. "And there was some _boyfriend talking, though."_

Ron was almost purple. Hermione and Harry looked to each other, shocked, but only she could speak.

"So Ginny is Draco's girlfriend!"

"Draco Malfoy?" Colin said, a little too loud. Now, all the students that were at the room were looking to the table at the corner. "Ginny Weasley is dating Draco Malfoy?"

Eyes were shining and mouths were hanging open. Colin Creevey seemed like he had been slapped. Ron, Hermione and Harry flushed. No one said a thing.

  
  
_N/A: Hey, did you liked it? Do you want more? Just keep giving me feedback by reviewing or by email (kelly@hogwarts.zzn.com), and in the net chapter.... Finnally, some happines to our heroes :o) And to whom understand portuguese, the complete version is available at www.solitariosfic.cjb.net :o)   
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, specially my lovely Ron, who is the dearest person on earth and to Sariss, Dracona, Fire Witch and (i know I already said that) EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!_


	7. Worst than Detention Itself

_A/N. I have a new beta-reader, and you can be sure that she is the most amazing beta that I could ever imagine to find! She is nice, patient and... oh, thanks Kryska! *makes the happy dance* This chapter is for you all that reviewed, and for who asked the fainting!Ron, he's here and its all yours ^_~_

**Chapter 7: Worst than Detention itself**

It was almost midnight when Ginny entered the portrait hole, her fingers hot and painful from all the writing she had done at the library. 

She was remembering all those huge books, and walking across the empty common room. 

"Where were you, Ginny?" asked Ron, slowly and painfully calm. "Were you in detention?" 

"I... I was." Ginny answered, in shock. The room hadn't been empty, after all. From the shadows near the fireplace, Harry and Hermione came over to Ron. 

"So it's true that you're dating Malfoy?" Ron asked again, walking nearer and nearer. 

"I, I..." She muttered, scared to the bones. 

"You...?" Harry added, looking into her eyes. 

"Yes." 

"Yes what?" muttered Ron, between his teeth. 

"I am ... Draco's girlfriend." She said in a hurry, before she lost her courage. 

Ron twisted on his feet, but he didn't leave the room, as Ginny had thought. He fainted.  
Hermione went down on her knees, slapping Ron's face gently. 

"How could you do this to us?" she asked, very angrily. 

"He tried to kill us a dozen times!" Harry cried, while Ron woke up and sat on the ground. 

"He wanted Dad to get fired!" Ron said, with half his normal voice. 

"Malfoy cheats every time he can, what do you think he wants with you if it isn't to hurt us?" Hermione asked, with fiery eyes. 

"He loves me!" Ginny screamed as loud as she could. 

"Ginny, you just... you're a shame to Gryffindor!" Ron cried, getting to his feet. "You disgrace the Weasleys!" 

Ginny felt her face burning. Her eyes were full of tears and her throat was so tight that she couldn't say a thing. Hermione muttered something to Ron and walked to her dorm. The boys glanced with what seemed a mix of pity and disgust at Ginny and walked to their dorm too. 

The girl felt so lonely, so tired, so small. _Now I know how Draco fells when his father tells him that he doesn't deserve to be a Malfoy. It's just like the world emptied, and you can't do anything about it because you aren't good enough for what you practiced for all your life._

*** 

Draco entered the Slytherin dungeons at almost one in the morning. He was even more pale than usual, and so tense that every sound of the night made him jump.  
_For God's sake! I know that I didn't see any ghosts, but those voices whispering at my ear and the cold wind weren't any better than staring at the Bloody Baron._

Draco remembered the hoarse voice that muttered that Draco looked so much like his hangman, and shivered. 

He was almost on the dorm's door when he saw two huge shadows standing at the entrance stairs. With a closer look, he could see that the shadows were nothing but Crabbe and Goyle. 

"Draco," Crabbe started to talk, looking nervous. "They're saying..." 

"... They're saying that you..." Goyle tried to help. 

Draco glanced at the boys, who couldn't another word. He was shooing them away from the door, so he could pass, but a cold voice made him stop, mid-act. 

"What those stupid gits want to say is that there are rumours that you're the boyfriend of the Weasley girl." 

He glanced to his back and saw Pansy Parkinson. And she was not alone. 

"That I am what?" He said it in a whisper. 

Pansy walked out of the shadows into the moonlight that entered by the windows. After her, Violet Parkinson, Pansy's sister and Prefect of Slytherin, walked closer him too. Violet had the cruelest eyes he'd ever seen. 

"The whole school is talking about it." Violet said, with a controlled voice. "They're saying that you, Draco Malfoy, who would be the next Slytherin Prefect, are the silly boyfriend of Ginny Weasley, the most poor, boring and Potter Lover girl from Gryffindor". 

The way she said _Gryffindor _would make even Godrid Gryffindor ashamed of his name. 

"Well, I..." Draco said, without daring to look into the girl's eyes. 

"Are you her boyfriend or aren't you, Draco?" Pansy cried. 

"Yes, I am Ginny's boyfriend." 

Crabbe and Goyle looked like they had just discovered that they weren't who they'd always thought they were, Violet just looked disgusted, and Pansy covered her face with her hands and ran into the girls dorm, crying. 

"I never thought that you," Violet said, very seriously, "that_ you_ would be such a shame to our House. I'll have to communicate these... events to your father, right now, and you know it." 

Crabbe pulled Goyle by the hem of his robes and they walked into their dorm. Violet whistled and a brown owl appeared from a dark corridor, and perched on her shoulder. 

"You can go to sleep, Draco." Violet said, without feeling. "I really don't envy your position when your father finds out that you're a disgrace to Slytherin." 

Draco turned his back on Violet and walked into the dorm. Crabbe and Goyle were with in bed, faces buried into the pillows, faking sleep._ Pathetic,_ he thought, walking to his bed, at the very end of the room. 

_If the whole school knows, the Gryffindors know too! Oh God, Ginny! _

Snap. 

Draco, Draco! 

What happened, Ginny? 

They know! They know it! 

I know that they do! The Slytherins know too! How they can know? 

I don't know! They were waiting for me in the common room... It was awful! Ron screamed at me and he said I disgraced the Weasleys! 

They were waiting for me too, and they did almost the same thing. Violet, the Prefect, sent an owl to my father! 

Your father?

Yes! I don't want to think about it... 

Oh, Draco, why does this have to be so hard? 

I don't know, Ginny, but people say that what comes hard is better... 

She smiled, her eyes closed and his face printed on her eyelids. He smiled too, and had an idea.

Ginny, if everybody already knows, do you... Do you want to see me in public? And to talk to me? 

Sure! I've always wanted it! 

And do you want to see me right now? 

I want! In the Winter Room? 

Yes! 

Snap. 

In both Slytherin and Gryffindor dorms, one would hear hurried steps and muttering in the darkness. In both common rooms echoed the sound of robes rustling against the furniture. In the corridors, portraits woke up and swore at two teenagers. In the winter room, at the same time, from different doors, at the unearthly time of two o' clock AM, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley met.


End file.
